The X Factor Top 4 Performance Recap: Raise Your Hopeful Voice, You Have a Choice

I’ve been a real Negative Nancy with my recapping of The X Factor throughout Season 3, and dare I say, I’m starting to feel a little bit bad about it.

Oh, sure, I could blame my lousy attitude on the hysterical hype over Restless Road, three guys whose jeans are guaranteed to be tighter than their harmonies. Or I could point a finger at Paulina “Words: In no particular order!”* Rubio, the least effective singing-competition panelist since Paula Abdul woke up in the midst of Season 7 Top 4 performance night, looked at her producer-generated notes, and began critiquing a number she hadn’t actually seen (not in the widely accepted timeline of human reality, anyhow). (*Hat tip to Twitter follower @JeannieLeeCBC for that joke; so good, I had to steal it!)

Keeping it really real, though, just because a shark (one letter away from “snark,” you’ll note) smells blood in the water doesn’t mean said predator shouldn’t separate the lean dolphin meat from the chum. And as Season 3 has been whittled from the 40 acts of the long-since-forgotten Four-Chair Challenge, Simon Cowell’s singing competition has wound up with four acts who, while they vary pretty widely in quality, all have a legitimate shot at post-show chart success.

AMERICA’S SONG CHOICE Carlito Olivero: Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” — Grade: B+ | Is there a direct correlation between the shortness of Carlito’s sleeves and the successfulness of his performances? Perhaps. But “Boyfriend,” even with the unabashedly cheesy “brings one chica up on stage” interaction, was loose, fun and well-sung — with solid choreography, to boot.

Restless Road: Luke Bryan “That’s My Kind of Night” — Grade: C+ | Demi was the only one who spoke truth to tunelessness: Zach, Colton and Andrew displayed none of the stage presence or natural sex appeal that’s woven into Luke Bryan’s DNA. Heck, we didn’t even get a decent booty-shake (something Colton proved he could do back in that Fifthy Harmony-themed hair-product ad the contestants were forced into filming a few weeks back). That decision made, we were left to focus on the vocals, which could only be heard about a third of the time over the blare of the band.

Alex & Sierra: Of Monsters and Men’s “Little Talks” — Grade: A- | This might only rank as A&S’s fifth or sixth best of the season — it was a tad too close to the original, and lacked their brazen brand of individuality, if I’m being picky — but Sierra’s heretofore unheard power notes + some tremendous harmonies made this a winner nevertheless.

Jeff Gutt: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” — Grade: A- | You’d think Kelly — or at least the X Factor producers — would pay attention to their rivals, realize that a Voice contestant had a huge “Hallelujah” moment just a few weeks back, and not pick the song as one of three ditties America could choose for Jeff. (I know, I know, the definition of insanity and all that…) Nevertheless, I liked the power-rock slant Jeff gave the tune — a gruff middleground somewhere between Neil Diamond and Daughtry — and as Simon noted, there was real passion and sincerity in the performance.

DUET TO THE DEATH
Alex & Sierra Vs. Carlito Olivero: “Falling Slowly” — Grade: A-/B | Maybe Alex hit a rough note or two, but Sierra’s glory note (Rated W…for Whoa, Mama!) and their emotional approach really connected with me; Carlito, meanwhile, weighed down the sweet, simple melody with too many runs and too much affected phrasing. Not every line of a song needs an outstretched hand or a hip swivel, y’know?

Jeff Gutt Vs. Restless Road: “Every Breath You Take” — Grade: B/B-C+ | Restless Road sounded OK-ish — until Colton’s reindeer-colliding-into-the-Nativity-scene final run. Jeff was slightly better, but kinda overbaked his solos in an effort to crush his ManBand competitors. Bottom line? I’ll have forgotten this by the time I have my first seasonal spiked eggnog. (Spoiler alert: That’s happening this weekend. Mmmkay?)

FINAL PERFORMANCE BEFORE THE FINALECarlito Olivero: Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know” — Grade: B- | Carlito sang this number reasonably well — although dude made some weird choices to bring down the melody in the opening verse — but my focus kept getting pulled by those lady dancers popping out of the stacks of lit-up speakers/dominoes behind him. It was like a fantastical, mid-budget game of Hide & Seek, except Carlito never tried yelled “Ollie Ollie oxen free!” Paulina, in her usual bout of ridiculousness, shrieked, “Carlito is INNNNNNN this competition.” Well, yeah, but so is everybody else — at least till Thursday’s results!

Restless Road: Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted” — Grade: C- | I understand the commercial appeal of Restless Road, and I am sure there are less talented people making six- and seven-figure salaries in music right this second. But for the love of the 18-49 demo, how the heck did the boys’ cover — complete with wince-inducing harmonies and a treacherous solo from the deep-voiced one — earn a standing ovation from all four judges? It all made about as much sense as anything spoken by PowPow in the last three months.

Alex & Sierra: Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity” — Grade: A+ | With a sparse piano arrangement that left the focus entirely on their voices, the Season 3 champs — oh come ON, even if they don’t “win”-win, they’ve already won — proved they’ve got the kind of magical vocal chops that will make them a threat in the real world and ensure they never have to scrounge for change to buy tacos again. The look Alex gave Sierra as the melody slid over his sandpapery voice at the top of the number, the way Sierra got lost in the music on her lilting falsetto notes, the way she extended the word “downnnn” in a way that would make even Lillie McCloud shake her damn head, and the way that led into Alex’s plaintive falsetto…I could go on and on and on. But instead I’m gonna go download this on iTunes.

Jeff Gutt: Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” — Grade: C+ | I know Jeff was struggling with staging that had him desperately trying not to fall off a slanted platform, but he picked an unfortunate time to give his weakest vocal of the season. The entire chorus seemed set in a key that stretched his voice well above his natural comfort zone — transforming the final third of the tune into a screamy mess. The whole “Eye of Sauron” and “Giant Jeff Projection Screens” did little to enhance the experience, but hopefully the misfire won’t be enough to put him behind Restless Road in the voting.

Should Go Home: Restless RoadWill Go Home: Carlito Olivero

And with that, let me turn things over to you. What did you think of Top 4 performance night? Who absolutely must make the finale? Who will and should get booted? Take our poll below, then expand on your thoughts in the comments!Follow @MichaelSlezakTV

Yea, so don’t agree. I cannot STAND the way she sings certain words (like the word “downnnn”. Ugh, so annoying!!!). It’s so fake and once they break up, this band is over and done with – I give it a year before that happens.

I will put them UP there with Kelly, Carrie, David, and Adam, and that is lofty status… They must win this show if X Factor has even a smidgen of a chance to return for a season 4, and even if it don’t, I will buy everything they put out in the future, just as I have the 4 I mentioned up above…

I agree. This singing competition should have nothing to do with a person’s story. That also applies to the romance between Alex and Sierra. So they are in love. Big deal. It’s their voices that should matter. JEFF GUTT should win this competition because he has the best voice.

I believe in carlito he has amazing voice. He reminds me of Rickie Martin,and if Carlito does not win the X Factor I know he will go far with his voice in English and an Spanish is over the top and people of to here this. Carlito Pienso que Esta oration debe empezar. con que. In English may god contuine to bless you.

If Alex and Sierra don’t win this season it’ll be a complete joke. Restless Road have harder issues with harmony than Fifth Harmony or Emblem 3 ever did, Carlito’s voice just isn’t great, and while Jeff has a terrific voice, I think we’ve lost who he essentially is. “Demons” will be the first song in a long time that is less than 15-years-old. Alex and Sierra have done extremely well on iTunes. The show would be foolish if they didn’t want them to win.

If, by the act of an insane alien deity in a universe better left unmentioned, Alex and Sierra don’t win this competition, they’d still have a great career in music ahead of them. Gravity was superb in any context, but in this one (being a singing competition), they excelled.

It still irritates the hell out of me that RR has 4 backup singers, not singing “back-up”, but actually singing the song right along with them. I guess no one is allowed to call them out on this as Simon did this last year with Fifth Harmony. Simon obviously feels that since it’s his show he can manipulate it any way he chooses but it is really unfair to the other contestants. If viewers had heard what they actually sound like without the “help” they would have been gone long ago.

Even though I don’t care for Carlito much (though tonight was his best performances to date) I am all for Putting Restless Road out of our memory… Those boys are not good together, with only one of them having a real singing voice (Colton)

I totally agree. They have NO chemistry together. NADA! they always look so uncomfortable. I pick Jeff simply because he’s worked the hardest and has the best story, more growth from last year. Love Alex and Sierra, too, but i think another year will make them stronger. :) Carlito? I will be surprised if he beats out Jeff or Alex and Sierra. I see those 2 in the final 2. :)

When are Restless Road finally going home? As you said: They should go home.
Please America, keep Carlito. At least he can sing well and always work hard and makes the extra effort! I loved Carlito´s performance of Boyfriend. It was great..

I never understood the negativity on here for Restless Road but tonight they were the weakest of the 4. Carlito had a really good night and he really really impressed me in the duet round.

I enjoy xfactor so much more than American Idol and the voice and am going to miss it not being around anymore. Hopefully their shows next week are great so the xfactor series ends strong since I think it is a well produced show that deserved to be around for a lot longer

I’ve rewatched Alex and Sierra’s “Gravity” three times, and without fail, I’ve been teary eyed at the end all three times. Chills. Absolutely impressed and eager to hear more. Pleasantly shocked the x-factor has been able to produce such a viable singing act!

“Alex & Sierra Vs. Carlito Olivero: “Falling Slowly” — Grade: A-/B”
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I like A&S more to be sure, but they seemed a bit too pitchy on this to take the win and surprisingly I kinda had to give Carlito the win on this.
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And I thought Jeff did noticeably better than RR on their duo, much more than the one third grade difference given.
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OK but here is where I disagree on just about everything:
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“FINAL PERFORMANCE BEFORE THE FINALE
“Carlito Olivero: Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know” — Grade: B-
Restless Road: Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted” — Grade: C-
Alex & Sierra: Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity” — Grade: A+
Jeff Gutt: Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” — Grade: C+
”
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I actually thought Carlito showed his had work is starting to pay off.
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And although I’m still not into RR at all, I thought they did finally get the vocals a bit better on this one. I don’t see how it scores lower than their other two performances?? Even Simon admitted their other two were worse.
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Yeah A&S were pretty damn awesome on that, probably the performance of the night. Although I did like Jeff on his two songs a lot. Which brings me to how the heck does Jeff get only a C+ for his second song???? Man the dude was back tonight again!
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I thought A&S seemed a little off at times on their first song and didn’t blend quite as well as on their best, although it was a super cool song.
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Anyway A&S were awesome on that second song and Jeff had a monster night. I almost have to give the overall night to Jeff, although A&S were wicked good on that last song no doubt and their first song was cool.

Loved A&S’s second song…gorgeous. But I thought their first one was one of their weaker of the season. As you said, something with their connection was just a touch off which is so unusual for them. Also, the song seemed to be pitched a bit too low for Alex, who was singing the melody, and as a result all I could hear was Sierra’s harmonies. They’re still the best and deserve to win, I was just a little disappointed in their first song.

As such a downer X Factor has been this year, Alex and Sierra are the shining stars of singing competitions right now (Tessanne is a close 2nd). I really hope they win because they are by far the best performers on the show. Restless Road are useless and should be sent home now. Carlito well if there is a top 3 like last year then he can stay. Jeff surprised me tonight. I hope Jeff and Alex and Sierra make the finale. The other 2 are karaoke singers.

Neither of Restless Road’s performances were good, but in what world does Wanted get a lower grade than That’s My Kind of Night & both of them lower than their grade for that train wreck of a battle with Jeff?! I call shenanigans.

I already loved Alex and Sierra, but Gravity was by far my favorite performance. I can’t stop listening to it. They have 4 songs on itunes top 100 right now, with Gravity at number 9. Alex and Sierra for the win!

I haven’t watched a single episode of x factor all the way through, as the judges and the production and the hosts just drive me insane. So I just read these lovely recaps and download certain performances. Alex and Sierra might be my favourite contestants on a singing competition ever- and I’ve never watched them! Haha. I love what they do with each song, they really make it their own. I hope they win, although I’m sure they will be successful regardless.
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Makes me wish Caroline got the chance to do Gravity on the Voice though…

I also wish that Ellona was stlll on the show. This will be one of the few singing finales that doesn’t have much of a female presence. That bothers me. Sierra, until tonight, always took a back seat to Alex in the singing department. She showed a better range tonight, but it comes a little too late for me. A&S have good chemistry and a very good sense of pacing, but I think their real strength is as songwriters. I don’t know how Jeff got a C+ for “Demons.” It was pretty darned good. Michael is a little too euphoric about A&S and wants to throw everyone else under the bus imo. On the positive side, the winner (likely A&S) will be perceived as legitimate talents whereas last year’s winner was a complete dud. It is ridiculous, especially with 20/20 hindsight, that Carly Rose (who is an enormously talented prodigy) did not win the show last season.

I agree. I don’t get why people think Alex and Sierra are so great. Most of their songs have sounded exactly the same – she stretches the words out and they slow the song down while looking awkwardly at each other. So over them. Not good at all IMO.

Sorry if I sound like the grumpy old “get off my lawn” guy but they really need to do something to dampen the volume of the screaming going on during the singing. It’s really annoying and oftentimes it’s difficult to even hear the contestants clearly. This has been a major pet peeve of my with this show every season.

How ironic and phony to see Simon dawn over “RecklessReckless Roadkill”. We’re they contestants during his tenure at American Idol he’d be trashing them & telling them to pack theIr bags, something that should have happened week’s ago along with the whiny poor me, Carlito Olivetti, the weakest boy from Paulina’s stable. Where are Josh Levi & Khaya Cohen.

I so agree with you Trev. I have loved this season and I think the singers have been great. My favorite is Alex and Sierra, but I became impressed with Carlito for the first time and Jeff was great too. I like Restless Road, but they were the weakess act last night which I’m sorry about. I have really not cared for Carlito and he was my least favorite of the guys, but last night he was great and now I would rather have him in the finals over Restless Road. I of course want Alex and Sierra to win but I have really enjoyed all the talent on this season.

I can’t stand for any of them but if had to with gun at head would be the duet couple. This show needs to die has not worked after this many seasons yet FOX still wants to keep Simon around and make the show one night a week, a FAIL! Bring us some new dramas and comedies and dump reality crap for off season if you must.

LMFAO, I FF through most of X Factor, and like I am the only one, you probably stan for the most wrecked entertainers. I don’t watch Fox cartoons either so how about that!? Stay more pressed than my original comment ever was!

Jeff Gutt did amazing on Hallelujah, though what I worry about him is consistency. At the worst days, he could sound like a B grade rock singer but sometimes he sings like Bellamy, Muse vocalist, Grammy award winning band. Carlito, has a basic voice that if he sings by himself, it is just ok, sometimes overdone, overrated, over the top. I can see why he was a member of the boyband Menuodo,4 other guys will sing, and it sounds good. Restless Road, members lack personality and seem too serious to me, but good thing is they are very genuine. They were great before all the fuss and the buss about them, I wonder if they could develop more and be more than their first performances, because after that, they seemed getting into the pressure very much, did not give their best or elevate, but the potential is there. Alex and Sierra is fantastic, captivating, different.

First, I think X Factor USA semifinal is more interesting to watch than Voice semifinal. At least X factor have more than one performance, and Voice only has one single song! What is going on here? I also give X Factor USA some credits for allowing voters to choose the contestants’ first song. Only half of the contestants sang the song I chose, but it is okay. However, the “battles” did not work because they did not sound good at all. The voice coaches kept on asking the contestants to sing louder, and that is not good. Battles are tricky because the contestants need to work together to make the songs sound good. I will rather them singing full versions of their two songs. I am also upset that “Falling” is wasted on this round. I will much rather see Alex and Sierra sing it on the final.

Second, song choices – I have problems with both Jeff’s selections this week. Both his songs had already been sang this season by contestants at the Voice a couple weeks ago. That is not a good thing to do, as both Matthew and Will from the Voice did a respectable job with both songs. Matthew sang “Hallelujah” so perfectly and this song is stilling lingering at the top 100 after he was eliminated. Americans did not do him a favor. Will also did a good job with “Demons” and you could not help by comparing their vocals. Jeff did a respectable job of Hallelujah but to be honest, Matthew from the Voice is just so good. No one should sing Hallelujah at any reality singing competition anymore.

Third, Carlito actually surprised me this week and both his songs were very good. At least he stayed on pitch and I did not hear any major mistakes. He did a pretty good job with “Boyfriend.” I think he should stay.

Restless Road – I don’t even want to talk about it… I agree with Demi for sure during the first round. Colton should be a solo country artist.

Finally, Alex and Sierra are amazing and I don’t even need to say more. “Gravity” is playing on my iTunes now. There is something magical when they sing. It is hard to surpass “Say Something” last week, but they are just so original and will make any song their own. I really look forward to their finale and hope that X Factor USA does not force them to sing with some crazy artists. Who could forget LeAnn Rimes last season?

Jeff Gutt sang Hallelujah last season for X Factor audition and killed it way before anyone heard of Matthew. They are two different versions and I like Jeff’s rock version better than Matthew’s sweet version. If Matthew weren’t hitting flat notes at least once in every song he wouldn’t have been sent home. But he’s young and with more vocal training, he will be really good.

I agree on the LeAnn Rimes comment. Between her and Britney Spears, Carly Rose was doomed.

Alex & Sierra is LOVE. Both of the songs they sung today hold a deep & special meaning in my life. Words can’t express how much I’m thankful for them for just existing & being in X Factor. It sounds silly and dramatic but it’s the truth. <3 This was by far the best X Factor show Simon has produced in the US. But I don't think there's any saving Carlito even if he sounded great tonight in both Boyfriend & the duet. The other three acts are just way ahead in the votersphere. At least he's leaving on a high note.

Sorry, this is the nerdiest comment of the night. Paula commented on Jason Castro’s second performance before it happened on Top 5 week, not Top 4. It was Neil Diamond night, I remember it very fondly.

For people who keep whining about XFactor since it started, there are currently THREE songs charting in the top 10 itunes. Its still an achievement when they have half the viewers of The Voice. Plus, that achievement itself already trumps whatever The Voice did this whole season.

And the funniest thing is that this show doesn’t hold itunes for votes unlike The VOI$E. On top of that, X Factor/Simon actually have a machine and willing to promote artists (unlike The Voice/NBC) so they will do really well post show.

Excellent points. Amazing that Alex & Sierra hit #1 on iTunes back to back weeks with iTunes not being part of the votes. Agree that it would be funny if Alex & Sierra becoming break out stars before The Voice…. I had a feeling it may happen. They are unique and different from anything else out there.

I agree that Restless Road AND Carlito Olivero are the weakest of the acts remaining in the competition. In fact, I felt Carlito should have gone home weeks ago, when his mentor Paulina announced his name instead of Josh Levi’s name, the night Josh went home.

What bugs me is that Carlito is the weakest vocalist remaining, but he’s trading on “hot Latin guy sex appeal” very consciously… and all three female judges are shamefully falling for it, even though for my money, I would have preferred to see Rion Page make it this far.

Sure, Restless Road is just as iffy as Carlito, but at least they have the excuse of being relatively complete strangers before Simon and the other judges threw them together and said, “Be a group.”

For me, I’d prefer to see Carlito go home tonight, just to put his sham act to rest so he can’t be targeted by VoteForTheWorst.com. Plus I am tired of the three female judges blowing hot air into him someplace unpleasant. But I wouldn’t miss Restless Road, if they go home, either.

The nightmare scenario for me would be if, simply because he had a mostly off-night, we see Jeff Gutt go home instead. I want a nice, competitive finale and that means having both Alex and Sierra, AND Jeff Gutt, involved. If either of those acts go home tonight, keeping both Olivero AND Restless Road on the show for the finale, it just won’t be that interesting to me.

P.S. Rion Page is the most talented performer already sent him; I’m hoping she gets signed by someone, even at her young age.

Also, I’m sick and tired of all the praise for The Voice. That show is the worst! They’ve actually come out and admitted they don’t even care about creating stars, or if their winners get record deals at all.

And the “original concept” is SUCH a joke, because any time they turn around and see a pretty girl or hot guy, they change their tune and say, “Well come back next season and we’ll put you through.”

Plus none of their judges have the toughness and honesty of Simon or even Demi Lovato. It’s pretty embarrassing to see big names like Blake Shelton, Christina, CeeLo, and Adam “I Hate America” Levine bowing and scraping and doing the “We’re not worthy” bit over some of these people they just cut, but then praise to the heavens. The Voice does NOT deserve any of its ratings success.

At least American Idol, as terrible as it’s become since Simon left, has a rich history of creating ACTUAL music stars and superstars for fall back on. Underwood and Clarkson are the best of that bunch, but think of all the people who’ve done well after appearing on the Simon Cowell years of AI, even though they didn’t win: Katherine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Jordin Sparks, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, and more… AI hasn’t been the same since Simon left, but at least it has a track record. The Voice has NOTHING.

Rion wasn’t the best singer already sent home.
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Whatever you say about The Voice, at least, unlike A.I., they won’t tarnish and trash down their own contestants for cheap drama for ratings or to insure that the season stays to script.

I will say this was a better show than most for the season. A & S for the win. Liked their first song but wasn’t the best. Wish they had sung fallen slowly by themselves for me it just seem off, loved the last song. Jeff over sang the first song. Duet competition wished he had sung it by himself. Hated the last one. I don’t know for me he seems like a wanna be rock star. No solo artist but I think he could front a band. Carlos improved from last week. RR still stinks. If it was my choice it would be A & S, Jeff and Carlos in the finals; however I think RR will be there. Hopefully there is a shock boot this week meaning RR is gone.

I don’t know what all the fuss is about Alex and Sierra. I’m not a fan, although they are better than Restless Road. I suppose the girls vote for Restless Road because they are cute. I thought Jeff gave the best performances this week. He really rocks ! I hope he wins. Carlito did better this week. I hope he makes it to the finals instead of Restless Road.

Alex & Sierra. Period. End of discussion.
If they win it’s the best thing that could happen to XFactor.
It is by far the weakest of the singing competitions.
The bickering among the judges is horrific. At times it’s ok and a little funny but this show has gotten completely out of control.

A&S by far are the best act overall. Jeff is probably a better vocalist but has less commercial appeal. Too bad Lille is gone, she was by far the best singer in the competition (although I still liked A&S better even back then).

Restless Road is horrible! It’s just another prefab boy band. Simon is smart, he has a formula and is just applying it to country music. If he could make a nickel, he’d create a polka boy band. You think there are three members, but there are actually 7! If you look at any of their performances, you’ll see 4 singers off to the side in the dark. Simon knows they can’t sing so he has to have 4 “background” singers on every song to drown out the 3 that can’t sing. It’s like Milli Vanilli all over again!

A&S will have the most success whether or not they win the competition. My only concern is their act plays well on TV. The whole love story, cutesy, longing looks into each others eyes, works on TV for most people. But will the feelings and sentiment those things bring translate into MP3 format? Their version of Say Something outsold the original for a short time. How many people can say they outsold Christina Aguilera singing the same song! But lets face it, the sales were driven by TV and they fell back behind the original because the original is better and more polished. Neverheless, A&S is definitely the best act, has had the best and most consistent performances throughout the competition as a whole and Simon will sign them whether or not they win.

Actually, the only reason I bothered to look up Cristina’s version was as a reference to what A&S sang–in being totally honest, I didn’t like Cristina’s version with Great Big World (or whoever that was). I don’t like the way CA’s version was over produced–I mean, the video with the elderly couple was over the top; what’s worse, I felt it was gratuitous, and my tears refused to be jerked. It wasn’t like the elderly man was telling his obviously dying love to “say something, I’m giving up on you.” Really.
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So, musically, vocally and in spirit, I do believe A&S’s version was superior.
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That said, I’ve listened to them eyes closed, and I feel they’re right on musically. I think they’d be killer in their own TV show, but that has such a short shelf life. Anyway, I honestly think they’ll transcend the TV show.
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I’m not saying A&S’s version wasn’t great. I was just stating the facts. It was a fantastic rendition on a TV show which drove sales on iTunes for one day. It outsold the original featuring one of the best vocalists now, Christina Aguilera. But once the buzz died down, it fell below the original in sales. Last night’s performances have also now topped the iTunes charts, again….driven by the TV appearance.

There’s no doubt about A&S’s commercial appeal. They should win, they have the most downloads on iTunes and have the most consistent performances. But even if they don’t, Simon will sign them. The true test is if they can get songs on the charts without the benefit of a weekly nationally televised TV show because part of their appeal is their personality and stage presence. Not many artists get the benefit of an introduction video with staged “pool visits”, picnics, or dinners, before their performances to showcase their story and personalities.

True story, I work in downtown LA and was driving down the 4th street bridge one morning. I noticed a camera crew and saw Carlito getting make up on! Low and behold, on his intro video, he was on the 4th street bridge last night, overlooking downtown LA. He was definitely not “out for a jog” or “contemplating” the competition on his own.

Hey Michael Slezak, Kelly didn’t choose Hallelujah for Jeff Gutt, America did. And we chose it because he sang it as his audition last season and killed it. Way before anyone heard of the kid on The Voice. His audition was a little more gritty than last night’s performance, look it up on You Tube. But both were great. I want Jeff to win, but for some reason America love Alex & Sierra. Sierra is definitely getting better as the show goes on but I don’t understand all “the love” they’re getting. I could see them with a career though.

Ok, I couldn’t take it anymore–I’ve downloaded iTunes, created an account there specifically to download Gravity and Say Something. I’m a computer boob and don’t have a mac, so this took real forethought and planning. I’ve never bought anything from XF, AI, or TV, but Alex and Sierra are just that good; it was worth going through the hassle.

Why do the judges have this idea that the show is about them? It has nothing to do with them. Simon is the only judge capable of making intelligent business decisions, the other judges deliver comments with the only intention of trying to get back even with Simon and not based on the performance of the contestant. All performers should be judged for their talent, and not judged based on who their mentor is. Hopefully, the producers of X-Factor will recognize that Paulina is just a waste of time for the show and will not have her back next season.

Take away the mcrophone from Sierra and I bet she couldn’t be heard in a fairly small room! She is so weak! At least Ellona had some pipes….and was entertaining! Oh well, that shoddy RR is still here….INCREDIBLE!

After reading these comments, I would like to postulate following scientific thesis:
“A random commenter in a comments section of a random TV site having the ‘hots’ for an act on a singing competition show has a direct and measurable negative effect on the singing ability of all other contestants on said show.”